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Mikhail Britanov
Mikhail Alexandrovich Britanov (Russian: Микчаил Алексанровицч Британов, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Britanov), 21st President of the United Federation of Planets (born January 16, 2310 in St. Petersburg, Russia; died August 30, 2403, Prague, Czech Republic) is a fictional character portrayed by Joshua Underwood in the Star Trek universe. Britanov has been portrayed by noted Croatian actor Rade Serbedzija since 2004; he had previously been portrayed by Nicholas Worth (in his role as Premier Alexander Romanov in Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2), when he was created in late 2001-early 2002. Britanov was originally intended to be a Soviet-era officer genetically engineered for longevity; however, Underwood believes the two characters fitting the long-lived template - the futuristic depiction of himself, and his popular character Kiran Joshmaul - were enough. Education In addition to Starfleet Marine Corps training, Britanov attended two major schools while on Earth: Immanuel Kant University in Kaliningrad, Russia, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Degrees Earned *Master's degree in philosophy, Kant University, 2330 *Doctorate in political science, Johns Hopkins, 2338 In the Federation Council, despite his past military service, he preferred to be called Doctor or Councillor Britanov, rather than General. Origins Both Mikhail and his father Alexander are descendants of Captain Igor Britanov, the commander of the Soviet missile submarine K-219, which sank off the coast of the United States as a result (or so it was believed by the Russian government) of a collision with an American attack sub. His name lived on after his death, and his legacy of perseverance continues in the 24th century. Britanov's father was a young Reydovan Imperial officer, who had been indoctrinated into Reydovan service after the capture of the starship Independence - which had been bringing Alexander's father, Peter, to Reydovan Prime to build a new starbase. (By that time, the existence of the Reydovan Empire and Kiran Joshmaul's rise to power had not yet been confirmed; Joshmaul ensured that the Empire's existence remained secret until the time was right.) Joshmaul spared Peter and his family, as well as Admiral Daniel Neill, the Independence's commander (and future father of Ethan and Jeremiah Neill) and his crew, from execution. Alexander became an Imperial officer, but he maintained his connection to Earth as well, and when he visited his parents in 2309 he met, and fell in love with, the woman who would later become his wife Anastasia. Mikhail was born in his father's hometown in January 2310, and returned home with Alexander and Anastasia the following year. Marriage and Military Service Britanov married Catherine Fayhan, the niece of Keita Fayhan (Daniel Neill's mother), in a private ceremony in 2327. After the birth of his daughter Anastasia, Britanov joined the Starfleet Marine Corps at the behest of General Daniel Longstreet, and served until 2375. His most vivid memory of Starfleet service was when he met Ross Neill, the son of General Jeremiah Neill. RJ proved to be quite a capable officer, and as Britanov rose through the ranks, so did RJ. Britanov served as a staff officer for most of his career, until the rising problem with the Borg in the 2360s. He asked for a battle assignment, and was assigned to one of the ships that had the good fortune of surviving Wolf 359, the troopship U.S.S. Sulaco. He received his first command, the Akira-class U.S.S. Sacramento, in 2372, and fought the Borg during the Battle of Earth in 2373. After that battle, Britanov was called to the frontlines of the Dominion War, rising to the rank of Major General in 2374. He served under the command of SFMC Commandant Daniel Longstreet until his apparent death in 2375, due to the supposed negligence of Longstreet's deputy commander, Jeremiah Neill. After the war, Britanov retired from the Starfleet Marine Corps after 47 years in the service of the Federation as both a soldier and a peacemaker, and proceeded to enjoy peace and quiet outside of Starfleet. Kiran Joshmaul returned to Starfleet, turning the Empire over to Underwood and the commander of his Imperial Guard, Britanov's father Alexander. Feud with Artimus, and Political Aspirations In 2352, Artimus Devaneaux, then a colonel in the Imperial Marine Corps, married Britanov's daughter Anastasia. In 2355 Britanov's first grandson, Kieran Devaneaux, was born, and grew to be a quick-witted officer in the Imperial Navy, eventually becoming supreme commander of the military (and later Emperor). But Britanov did not trust Artimus, especially when Anastasia told him that Artimus often stank of blood when he returned home, his efforts to wash his clothes not hiding the smell of death. In 2374, Artimus was arrested for killing the Minister of State, Lucius Tyrael, and after a long-drawn out trial was convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed in March 2375, but somehow returned from the grave to conquer the Empire... In September 2375, Britanov ran for the Presidency of the United Federation of Planets, but withdrew two days before the election upon noting the numbers seemed to go overwhelmingly in favor of his major opponent, Federation Council member Victor Manchester, in a rigged election (see "Votergate: The Fall of the Manchester Administration"). Though he was defeated, Britanov eventually ran for the Council and was elected by an overwhelming margin. In November 2375, he became the Federation's first ambassador to the Adiam Pack, at the recommendation of Admiral Joshmaul. Ascension to Power Before leaving for Teryll, the Pack capital, Britanov was called back into service in the Council during a time of crisis. In December 2375 a great controversy involving President Manchester's administration arose, and the Council voted by a 3-to-1 margin to pass articles of impeachment against him and his vice president, Amanda Dowling, accusing them of voter fraud and mismanagement of the government. On December 8, 2375, Amanda Dowling was reported missing, and Manchester - desperately seeking a way to salvage his failing administration - appointed Britanov the acting Vice President for the duration. On December 11, the articles of impeachment against Manchester were dropped three days later due to a supposed "diplomatic victory" against the Romulan Star Empire. Votergate: The Fall of the Manchester Administration Despite the apparent resurgence of Manchester's administration, the Federation Supreme Court nevertheless called for a recount of the presidential election the following day, having discovered that voter fraud and the sabotage of Britanov's campaign resulted in the Manchester/Dowling victory. The Supreme Court recommended a special election scheduled for January 1, 2376, but Manchester - realizing he faced potential ousting from the presidency - resigned on December 12, 2375. As next-in-line for succession, Britanov took over as interim President, becoming the first Earth-born holder (interim or otherwise) of that office since Hiram Roth in the 2280s, with Manchester's former chief of staff and senior Federation Ambassador Meriah Broussard as his vice-president. The Federation News Network, in the historical naming of scandals by news agencies since the 1970s, called this incident "Votergate", and it essentially ended the political careers of Victor Manchester, forever disgraced, and Amanda Dowling, who has been missing since November. Britanov moved the official residence back to Château Thelian after Manchester's resignation, though he spends much of the time outside his office at his dacha on the outskirts of Moscow. As a precautionary measure to allow the democratic system to truly be tested, Britanov's advisors recommended that the special election, set for January 11, 2376, still be held in order to allow the people to actually choose their leader, and Britanov agreed. He did not expect what kind of problems would arise in the elections, however - problems that, in the end, led to his ouster from the Presidency (see "The Second Election: January 16, 2376"). Though he protested the second election, he accepted it anyway...he knew another chance would come, whether he won it or not. He still had the public's respect when he was elected back to the Council. However, that would be a month into the future; when he took the President's office, Britanov had many problems on his plate, including the ongoing war with Artimus Devaneaux, rising problems with the Maquis and the Romulans, and cleaning up the corruption left by the Manchester administration. The Tables Are Turned In the period between Manchester's resignation and the election, Britanov became increasingly busy. On December 13, he issued orders to capture former VP Amanda Dowling's chief of staff, John Franklin Tyler, for conspiring with the Maquis resistance movement under renegade Vice Admiral Charles Leyton to overthrow the legal government. The Marines were sent in to Tyler's Paris apartment, but Tyler committed suicide by throwing himself out the high window before he allowed himself to be captured. In the search of Tyler's apartment, the Marines found communiqués from Leyton ordering Britanov's assassination, and also documents informing the traitor Reydovan government of Kiran Joshmaul's informant, Captain Jasmine Blade, and of Joshua Underwood's two infiltrators, Ian Taylor and Mikhail's father Alexander. That same day, Artimus Devaneaux's rule over the Reydovan Empire was officially ended by Starfleet and Reydovan officers, and the following day, Britanov issued orders that Artimus be found and killed in order to prevent him from ever harming sentients again. Establishing Relations with the Adiam More recently, Britanov began the official correspondence with the Adiam Pack, appointing Dr. Rachel Vantine, former chief medical officer onboard the U.S.S. Shadowcat and longtime (self-appointed) envoy, as the official ambassador. However, veiled references to the "mission" in Federation space, led by the Adiam envoy Chirann Koresh, and clear indications of Vantine's desire to have her people ruled by Chirann's people were cause for concern. However, the President judged that the Adiam were not hostile because the Federation did not give them a reason for it, and that was enough for him. The First Election: January 11, 2376 Maintaining his promise to hold the special election as planned, Britanov and Broussard - running on the "Misha & Meriah Means Management" campaign - prepared for a close election against retired Starfleet Commander-in-Chief Scott M. Matson and his running mate, political scientist Joshua Norton. The election was very much up in the air, and even Britanov and Broussard were having doubts. However, their doubts were put to rest when the final results came in following the closing of the polls - Britanov had won, just barely. However, poll results were badly lopsided; even though Britanov won the election fairly, the Federation Supreme Court ruled that there was no fault on the side of Britanov or Matson, but rather the voters. Irritated but determined, Britanov agreed to a second election, set on the 16th of January. A Death in the Family Before the final result of the election came in, Britanov received word from his grandson, Kieran Devaneaux, pertaining to the fate of his captured father, Alexander. The Marshal had been wounded in an attack at the hands of Kieran's father, Artimus, who was holding him in the lowest dungeons of Castle Devaneaux. Alexander had been left to die in his cell, and dumped in a scrap heap on the outskirts of the Imperial capital city of Montagne Noire. In his first statement after the election result, Britanov announced that Alexander's funeral would be his first off-planet visit as the officially-elected President. That was, until a new election was called... The Second Election: January 16, 2376 Annoyed with the continued delays, Britanov nonetheless prepped himself for the next election. The candidates' views are well known by this time, so advisors to both tickets believe the best thing to do is wait. Tiring of the constant debating and of the war with Artimus, much of the votes went to Matson, and Britanov was forced to concede defeat when the polls closed, showing Matson a clear favorite. In his statement to the FNN, Britanov said that under his leadership, the Federation had managed to do much in a short space of time, but it was time to pass the power over to the new President. After clearing what few belongings he had in the presidential estate, Britanov and his wife Catherine returned to their dacha outside Moscow, until deciding to travel to Reydovan Prime to handle Alexander's estate. When Britanov returned to Reydovan Prime, he refused to get involved in politics again. The concerns involving the Adiam, Artimus, and any other political problems that had plagued him in his administration meant nothing to him now. Catherine was outraged, accusing him of self-centeredness. Returning to Earth, Catherine left her husband on Reydovan Prime and returned to the family home on Earth. Continuing to manage Alexander's estate, Britanov received word from the Council that the government had been changed in his absence. On January 29, 2376, Matson unexpectedly resigned, and the Council was reshuffled. While on Reydovan Prime, Britanov heard the news of the resignation and asked his wife to return from Earth, to discuss the matter. Catherine convinced him that this was his chance, to return to politics and make some change...possibly get the Presidency back. With Catherine's counsel, Britanov submitted his name for election into the Council. In the subsequent election, Earth's three seats were claimed by Britanov, Broussard and retired Starfleet admiral Jason Ryans, and no clear opponents attempted to run against them. The formal election concluded on February 10, with the three members winning their seats with no opposition. Rising Problems Once back on the Council, Britanov and Ryans were attending a social event in Paris, having a discussion on the "Reydovan issue", when Joshua Underwood unexpectedly interrupted. Feeling somewhat incensed, the Chancellor accused them of advocating Federation annexation of the Reydovan Empire, explicitly forbidden by Article III of the Treaty of Korolev. Without another word, Underwood left for San Francisco, leaving Britanov to wonder how exactly relations would be with the Empire once Artimus was defeated. In the elections on February 15, 2376, Britanov attempted to run against his former Vice-President, Meriah Broussard, for the office of the Presidency. When he was defeated, he ran next for the position of Speaker of the Council, against Talus of Vulcan; again, he was beaten. However, he is a member of several important committees in the Council, and his influence is a major factor in Federation politics. The Counterpart Debacle Joshua Underwood was not the only one whose reputation was threatened by outside influences. Over the weeks since the end of the election that had elected Broussard, Britanov was heard to make many comments in the Council slanderous of the Federation ambassador to the Pack, Dr. Vantine, and of her husband, Chirann Koresh. Needless to say, the Pack leadership under Speaker Keronn Tharash was not at all pleased, and demanded a public apology. Britanov refused to give it. Many began to question his sanity, but it took a drastic step to figure out what was really happening... In mid-March 2376, shortly after the death of Artimus Devaneaux, Britanov was supposedly found dead in his office in Paris, shot twice in the head. The people thought that was it with the slander of the Pack, and that Britanov's career ended in disgrace with his death. But Kiran Joshmaul, knowing what had happened with Underwood, was more cautious. Performing an autopsy and testing for quantum irregularities - specifically, the one unique to the mirror universe - Joshmaul proved that Britanov had indeed been replaced by his mirror counterpart. Days later, the real Councillor was found bound with sharp wire and beaten bloody in his estate on the outskirts of Moscow. Joshmaul invited Chirann and Vantine to the hospital in Moscow where Britanov was being treated, and showed both the real Britanov, badly lacerated, and the dead counterpart. While Chirann looked unconvinced, he did realize that there was indeed something foul afoot; Vantine, having been a Starfleet officer before she became ambassador, knew of the mirror universe, but this was the first evidence of counterparts infiltrating the "real universe". The counterpart's body was vaporized by phaser shortly after the two left the hospital. Nursed back to health under Joshmaul's watchful eye, Britanov's tough constitution and iron will allowed him to return to his duties far sooner than the doctors in Moscow believed. The Trial of Rachel Vantine When Rachel Vantine was arrested in March 2376, Britanov came under heavy scrutiny from the Solicitor General's office. The xenophobic Captain Dawson Crenshaw, then the holder of that office, accused Britanov of being an accessory to treason and issued warrants for the arrest of both Britanov and Kiran Joshmaul. Confronted by the Commander-in-Chief, Fleet Admiral James Travis, and the Commandant of the SFMC, General Jeremiah Neill, Crenshaw dropped his charges hours later when the two commanders made it clear that Crenshaw had nothing concrete against Britanov or Joshmaul. In May of that year, Neill had managed to find damning evidence of Crenshaw's treason; his nephew, General Jonathan Ross, had set the Solicitor General up with a fake power failure in Starfleet Security, which would allow Crenshaw to sneak in and kill Vantine on the orders of his master, Demon-Kieran Devaneaux. However, Ross' quick thinking proved to be more than a match for Crenshaw's homicidal mania, and he was arrested. Britanov was among the first to congratulate the doctor when General Neill recommended that the charges against her be dropped with prejudice. As a result of his support of Dr. Vantine, Britanov is a marked man by radical anti-alien groups, many of them allies of the Solicitor General. The Defileron War Britanov was besieged along with President Talus in the Palais de la Concorde in Paris during the invasion of Earth in the Defileron War. His son Anatoliy battled renegade Gorak'nar High Inquisitor Jaeden'laek XVI for every level of the building, until Reydovan reinforcements led by Joshua Underwood and Jeremiah Neill relieved the fighting there. Once the Council was reconvened, Britanov and his colleagues voted unanimously to ally with the Gorak'nar and the Reydovans to take the fight all the way to Defileron. A coalition force led by Emperor Kieran laid siege to Defileron and, on Christmas Eve, ended the war once and for all. Second Presidency After President Broussard resigned in 2376, Talus of Vulcan served as the acting President for the remainder of Broussard's term before facing Britanov in the 2380 elections. Partly because his family was incredibly successful - his two sons were war heroes - and because of his stellar personal record, Britanov won by a landslide. He was re-elected four times, in 2384, 2388, 2392, and 2396. The Federation Constitution did not place a term limit on the Presidency, which allowed Britanov to maintain his "reign" over the Federation. Immediately following his election, Britanov moved the presidential offices from the Palais de la Concorde in Paris to the abandoned Prague Castle, in the ancient city's Hradčany district. During Britanov's twenty-year administration, Prague Castle was fully restored to its former splendor, and the Bohemian crown jewels returned to their place of honor in the Saint Vitus Cathedral that is the centerpiece of the castle complex. Britanov believed that history was meant to be preserved, and the nearly 1500-year-old castle was Prague's largest beacon of history. The citizens of Prague - and of the Federation as a whole - accepted the change with little fuss. Retirement and Death Citing health concerns, Britanov chose not to run for re-election in the 2400 elections. After attending the inauguration of his successor, Saxtus Fayhan, Britanov retired to a townhouse donated by the citizens of Prague, where he lived quietly, writing his memoirs, Misha: The Memoirs Of A Man Who Lived - And Helped Make - The Last Seventy-Five Years of History. In the last year of his life, Britanov was diagnosed with Reyerson's disease, a blood disorder that occurred in the very old or very young. On August 30, 2403, at the age of 93, Mikhail Britanov died quietly at home with his wife Catherine and two sons, Anatoliy and Vasily, at his bedside. Britanov's funeral was held at Prague Castle and was attended by his wife and sons, as well as his brother-in-law and successor, Saxtus Fayhan, and retired Starfleet admirals Kiran Joshmaul and Joshua Underwood; all six served as the bearers of Britanov's coffin. He was buried with full military honors next to his father Alexander and his daughter Anastasia, both victims of the evil Artimus Devaneaux in decades past, in St. Petersburg, Russia. What He Left Behind Britanov is known as one of the greatest diplomats and statesmen of the last hundred years, considered the greatest peacemaking President since Ra-ghoratrei of Efros, who signed the pivotal Khitomer Accords with the Klingon Empire in 2293. "What Would Misha Do?" has become a by-word for "doing the right thing", no matter what the cost would be. His wife Catherine never re-married, and has lived quietly with her brother Saxtus - who succeeded Britanov as President in 2401 - at the Britanov family dacha outside of Moscow. Anatoliy, his eldest son, gained a reputation as a peacemaker himself in light of an incident involving the Separatist remnant in the Briar Patch in 2384. He retired shortly afterwards, at the rank of Major General. Vasily became executive officer of the starship Bill of Rights, commanded by Commander Celest Devaneaux, in 2383 and served in that capacity until the ship was retired. He then transferred, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights crew, to the starship Moonfire, and he assumed command of what remained of the ship upon Celest's death in an engineering accident in 2402. He was promoted to Captain shortly thereafter, and is preparing to assume command of the new Moonfire-A. Britanov also has two grandsons - Emperor Kieran Devaneaux of the Reydovan Empire, Anastasia's son from her marriage to the reviled Artimus, and Alexei, Anatoliy's son, who graduated Starfleet Academy in 2397 and was assigned under his uncle Vasily on the Moonfire. Vice Presidents Mikhail Britanov had three Vice Presidents in his twenty year tenure in the Presidency. None were from Earth. *Konstantin Alexandrov (Alpha Centauri IV), 2381-2386 (died in office) *Surev (Vulcan), 2386-2393 (resigned) *Saxtus Fayhan (El-Auria), 2393-2401 Medals and Awards Britanov earned several awards during his Starfleet service. Starfleet Awards *Starfleet Marine Cross, 2375 *Two Purple Hearts, 2364 and 2372 *Silver Star, 2374 *Distinguished Service Cross, upon retirement, 2375 *Combat Bar, 2375 *Battle of Wolf 359 Service Medal, 2367 *Sector 001 Defense Medal (Borg Attack), 2373 *Battle of Deep Space Nine Service Medal, 2374 *Dominion War Service Medal, 2375 Reydovan Awards *Order of Reydovan (two), 2375, 2403 (posthumously) *Honorary Marshal of the Reydovan Empire, 2403 (posthumously) Dates of Rank Britanov entered Starfleet Academy at the age of 17, in 2328. He retired in 2375 as a major general. *Cadet, Starfleet Academy, November 3, 2328 *First Lieutenant, June 21, 2330 *Marine Captain, January 16, 2335 *Major, April 7, 2338 *Lieutenant Colonel, March 17, 2350 *Colonel, August 4, 2372 *Brigadier General, May 15, 2373 *Major General, April 13, 2374 Children Britanov married Catherine Fayhan, the niece of Keita Fayhan (Daniel Neill's mother), in 2327. She is his senior by nearly a decade. They have a daughter and two sons. *Anastasia Mikhailovna Devaneaux (2328-2376) - Imperial noble, married 2352, 1 son *Anatoliy Mikhailovich Britanov (born 2335) - Starfleet Marine major general, retired, married 2358, 1 son *Vasily Mikhailovich Britanov (born 2350) - Starfleet captain Britanov, Mikhail